Six teenagers arrested for murder in NL this year; latest victim 15 y.o. Shakil

On Tuesday the police arrested two 15-year-old boys for stabbing 15-year-old Shakil to death in Almere. Shakil's murder was the fifth deadly incident in the Netherlands this year in which the suspects are 16 years old or younger.

The motive for Shakil's murder in Almere on Tuesday, is still unclear. His family described him as a "normal teenager" who wasn't involved in criminal activities to the Telegraaf. His cousin Shahier Shabebdien told RTL Nieuws that Shakhil was like a little brother to him. "I visited him and his parents every day", he said to the broadcaster. "As far as we know he had no enemies. He went to school, to football."

Shakil went to play indoor football on the night of his murder. "He should've been home at 9:00 p.m., but at twelve o'clck the police arrived at the door to say that he died", Shahier said. The news hit the family like a bomb. "The whole house is full of family. Everyone is upset, weeping. We do not know what's going on, what happened. We want to catch the perpetrator and then hear his story. He must be punished."

The two boys arrested for Shakil's murder are the fifth and sixth teenagers arrested for murder in the Netherlands since the end April. A then 15-year-old boy was one of two suspects arrested for stabbing 16-year-old Nick Bood to death in Zaandam on April 29th. 

Over one weekend early in June two 14-year-old girls were found murdered within 20 kilometers of each other. 14-year-old Brian N. was recently given the maximum sentence of one year in prison and institutionalized psychiatric treatment for the rape and murder of Romy Nieuwburg from Hoevelaken. And a 16-year-old boy is in custody awaiting trial for the murder of Savannah Dekker from Bunschoten. 

And in September a 14-year-old boy was arrested for murdering his parents in the Friesland town of Katlijk. He confessed to the murders shortly after his arrest.

Every year an average of seven to eight minors are arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion of involvement in murder or manslaughter, the Telegraaf reports. But the suspects are most commonly 16 or 17 years old. The fact that this year so many 14 and 15 year olds were arrested for such serious crimes is unique, according to the newspaper.